Apparently satisfied with finishing in fifth place, the Astros have opted to pick up Brian Moehler’s $3 million option rather than exercise a $250,000 buyout.
It was actually a mutual option — the kind that never seems to get exercised — but Moehler was quick to jump all over the kindhearted gesture. Certainly, no one else was going to be quick to pay him $3 million after a season in which he went 8-12 with a 5.47 ERA and averaged only 5 1/3 innings per start.
Because he averaged so few innings per start, he missed qualifying for the ERA title and finishing with what would have been the NL’s worst ERA over Livan Hernandez.
Moehler had more runs allowed than strikeouts this season. He had more than twice as many hits allowed as strikeouts. He even got worse as the year went on, finishing 1-6 with a 6.12 ERA during August and September. In those two months, he allowed 73 hits, walked 21 and struck out 28 in 57 1/3 innings.
There’s just so little upside here. Moehler turns 38 this winter. He hasn’t had an ERA under 4.50 as a starter since 1998. He hasn’t qualified for the ERA title since 2000. He’s spent his entire career pitching for clubs that were average or worse, largely because he’s always been average or worse.
But this is Ed Wade for you. There’s a modest chance Moehler will be worth the $3 million he makes next year, but it’s extremely unlikely that he’ll be worth more and quite possible that he’ll find himself off the roster by June 1. When the Astros spend next year whining about how they can’t afford to take on more payroll, remember this completely unnecessary move. There’s little doubt the Astros could have had Moehler back for $1 million had they just exercised a little patience.

Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna was arrested in Toronto back on May 8 on charges of assault against a woman and he has been on MLB’s administrative leave list ever since — that leave having been extended twice already.

Canadian authorities aren’t revealing any details about the case so as to protect the identity of the accuser and it’s unclear where MLB’s investigation into the matter stands at this point, but Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports opens his latest column with this note …

Toronto Blue Jays star closer Roberto Osuna’s domestic issue is said by people familiar with the case to be serious and involve allegations of a physical nature, which would draw a significant ban.

Heyman notes that Major League Baseball handed 15-game suspensions to Jeurys Familia and Steven Wright for domestic assault cases where there was no physical abuse — or none proven — and that Aroldis Chapman got 30 games after a police report revealed that he did get physical with the victim and also fired a gun.

It sounds like Osuna could be facing a suspension of at least 20-25 games, given the precedent. Again, though, we don’t have any actual details.

Tyler Clippard has been operating as Toronto’s primary ninth-inning man in Osuna’s absence.